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Press Release: Person Co. Commission Puts Gas Plant Rezoning Back on Agenda, Without Public Comment or Response to Concerns
February 13, 2025 CONTACT Steph Gans, Communications Manager, Clean Water for NC, (609) 802-4126, steph@cwfnc.org ROXBORO, N.C. — On Feb. 3, The Person County Board of Commissioners voted to table Duke Energy’s application to rezone 297 acres of land near Hyco Lake to industrial use for proposed methane gas power plants. One reason the board cited was that the public did not have a chance to review the application. That night, public speakers raised impacts of the gas plants on farms, health, and the economy. However, undermining its stated rationale for postponing the decision, the board now plans to take up the rezoning during their Feb. 18 “retreat,” when there will be no opportunity for public input. A large crowd attended the Feb. 3 meeting, mainly to discuss tax re-evaluations. However, the hearing on rezoning of the land near Hyco Lake to industrial use proved quite controversial. All of the commenters at the hearing were concerned about the lack of transparency. Duke’s full rezoning application was submitted after the planning board had already approved sending Duke’s request to the county commissioners. Commenters testified that on the day of the hearing, they could not access the application through the County’s website. The top concerns were about farms, health, and other damaging industries coming to Person County as a result of the rezoning for a gas plant. The plants’ gas would be supplied by the 45-mile, 36-inch diameter T-15 pipeline, proposed to run through nearby land. Pipeline construction or leaks can harm soil quality, drinking water, air quality and destroy more profitable opportunities for landowners. The pipeline is set to run about three-quarters of a mile from Woodland Elementary School, prompting concerns that any leak or accident could be dangerous to children. Microsoft recently bought an industrial mega-site nearby. No information has been shared with the public by the county commissioners or by Microsoft about their plans for the site but residents and advocates are concerned that Microsoft’s plans mirror the corporation’s plans for data centers in Catawba County, close to proposed gas plants. At the Feb. 3 hearing, Juhi Modi, NC Field Coordinator for Appalachian Voices, stated, “We know that Microsoft would be an industrial customer, but we don’t know what the site would be used for. I request that the vote to rezone is delayed until the community actually has transparency, and we know what the site would be used for.” After the comments, the crowd loudly objected to a motion to close the public hearing on the topic. In response, Commissioner Puryear said, “Given tonight you’ve heard some concerns regarding that, and I understand there were some technical issues accessing the information, and we want to be as transparent as completely possible, I would entertain a motion of tabling it until our next meeting for further discussion.” When the motion passed 4-1, the crowd applauded. Tracy Sexton, a resident who originally commented at the Feb. 3 meeting, responded to the decision to hold the next vote without public comment. “The commissioners are in a position of power,” Sexton said. “They have the power to help those of us with less power: the citizens of Person County. This is about our health. My comments about not using coal ash in construction, giving us real-time 3rd party readings of what’s going on with the emissions, and making Duke name how many days we’ll be polluted by both the gas and coal plants, the commissioners should take responsibility to use their power wisely for the benefit of the citizens.” Hope Taylor, executive director of Clean for North Carolina, an organization that worked for years with the community around the coal plant for treatment systems and coal ash clean-up, stated, “By scheduling the vote on rezoning at a meeting where the public cannot weigh in, the Person County Commission shows that it never intended to allow public input after review of the zoning application. The commissioners must honor their own Feb. 3 decision, and delay the rezoning vote until the March 3 meeting or later, providing adequate time for public comments, and show that they will be responsive to questions about impacts to health, farms, and by industrial customers like Microsoft.”
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TODAY- Call or Email Person County Commissioners to Delay Rezoning for Hyco Gas Plants
A rainbow above Woodland Elementary School. One concern from community members is that the pipeline for the gas plants runs too close to the school, potentially endangering students. Call or Email: Delay Hyco Lake Gas Plant rezoning until we get answers! On Feb. 3, the Person County Commissioners delayed the vote on rezoning land by Hyco Lake for Duke Energy’s gas plants, because the community needed a chance to review the rezoning request’s impact on farms, health, land, & water. We need transparency about the other projects this would bring to the county, especially Microsoft. Now, the rezoning is on the County Commissioners Feb. 18 agenda again! There is no public comment on the rezoning, despite the fact that it was delayed to give the public a chance to actually review and weigh in on the application. Residents never got answers to questions about farms, coal ash, pollution, Microsoft, the danger to Woodland Elementary, or to requests to meet with the commissioners. Find more info about the community concerns here. Today through Friday the 14th! Call or Email the Person County Board of Commissioners & County Manager! Emails: kpuryear@personcountync.gov; jdthomas@personcountync.gov; tellixson@personcountync.gov; aroyster@personcountync.gov; swilborn@personcountync.gov; kcathey@personcountync.gov Call: 336-597-1720 (press 2 to leave a message for the county manager) Example script: Hi my name is ________ and I am wondering why the rezoning of the land near Hyco Lake is back on the agenda for the Feb 18 meeting. I thought it was delayed to give the public a chance to look at the application and to get our questions answered. I am concerned about this because _______ (insert your reason why – find some community concerns here, including Microsoft, pollution, farms, pipeline, coal ash, transparency, etc.). On Feb 18, there’s no chance for public comment. Delay the rezoning vote until the March 3 meeting or later to give time for public comment, meet separately with residents, and answer our questions. Thank you. More information on the gas plants, T-15, and other Person County industrial projects The two methane gas power plants Duke Energy is proposing in Person County would be fed by the T-15 pipeline. Community Concerns about Rezoning Land for Hyco Gas Plants Fact sheet about all of the planned projects: Industrial Projects Proposed in Person County Learn more about the T-15 pipeline, its proposed route and the gas plants at www.no-t15.org Air Permit Fact Sheet: Find detailed information about the air pollution permit for the gas plants and community concerns.
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Tell Person County Commissioners to Delay Rezoning Land for Hyco Gas Plants
Hearing will take place at 304 Morgan St. The meeting location in the Person Co. Office Building The Person Co. Board of Commissioners will consider Duke’s request to rezone the land for the Hyco Gas Plants, that would be supplied by the T-15 pipeline. The meeting will be Monday, 2/3 at 6pm in the Person Co. Office Building (rm 215), at 304 S. Morgan St. Roxboro, NC. At the meeting, Person County residents will be able to share their concerns about the gas plants, and all the plans attached to it, and ask them to delay rezoning the land to address those concerns. Even if you don’t say anything in the meeting, your presence lets the commissioners know that the community wants them to do everything they can to protect Person. What we know Duke still hasn’t turned in the full rezoning request, but it might not be available until the day of the meeting! It’s just not enough time to understand the impacts of the project Before the county and Duke hear the zoning request again, the community would need: A chance to review the rezoning request’s impact on farms, health, land, & water. Transparency about other industrial projects this would bring to the county, including Microsoft. Protections for our health and the economic future of our community. Some of the community concerns: We needs answers about farms, health, accountability, & the cost of living Threats to farms Person County farms are being harmed for industry that mostly serves urban areas, and now big tech companies like Microsoft. To protect our rural community, we need transparency about the industrial customers that would be served by this plant, especially Microsoft. T-15 pipeline would have to run through acres of farmland to supply the plants with methane gas. Pipelines damage soil and reduce crop yields. They destroy more profitable opportunities for landowners, like crops, livestock, or solar. Our health Duke Energy’s own analysis found that air pollution from the plants could increase the surrounding area’s already high risk of cancer. (The area has higher rates of stroke, cancer, chronic heart disease, & COPD than 70% of adults in the U.S.) The area nearby has higher rates of infant & child mortality & low birthweight, compared to the national average. (97th percentile, 95th, & 90th, respectively). Duke plans to run the gas and coal plants at the same time. Duke should pay for independent air monitoring for pollution. We need to know how they will protect local residents from high pollution during that time. Drinking water in one neighboring area was already poisoned by coal ash. The T-15 pipeline construction & potential leaks could contaminate even more local wells. The T-15 pipeline to supply the plants is proposed to run next to Woodland Elementary. Pipeline leaks & accidents happen frequently in the US. Before rezoning, Duke needs to work with the pipeline builder to move the route so Woodland is out of the blast zone. Accountability to the Community Duke’s application to rezone the land was incomplete. Even if Duke turned in their plans as of this meeting, the public had no chance to understand the impacts. Duke’s application was missing a vicinity map, topography, locations of perennial & intermittent waters, 100-year floodplain & structures within 100 feet of the land. Rezones too much land: Duke does not have full state approval to build the second gas plant proposed. That land should not be rezoned without that approval. Cost of Living + Jobs This could raise our electric bills: Duke passes on the cost of gas prices and expensive new plants to customers (which could include Piedmont customers) Duke estimates their statewide plan to build new gas plants (including the Hyco plants & more) would increase rates from 39-73% The two proposed gas plants would only employ 40-60 people as long as they operate. Risky investment: No guarantee that the gas power plants won’t be abandoned early due to state law. HB951 requires Duke to reduce carbon emissions. Duke’s says the plants will eventually use hydrogen as fuel, but the technology to burn hydrogen and sources for hydrogen on an industrial scale do not exist. We need more information on how Duke will ensure that Person isn’t home to abandoned coal turbines, gas plants, and pipelines. You can download a handout about all of the Community Concerns about Rezoning Land for Hyco Gas Plants Person County Commissioners Meeting – Rezoning Land for Hyco Gas Plants Date: Monday, Feb. 3, 2025 Time: 6 p.m. Location: Person Co. Office Building (Rm 215) Address: 304 S. Morgan St. Roxboro, NC Can’t make it? You can still let your commissioners know what you think! Commissioners Kyle Puryear, Jason Thomas, Tracy Ellixson, Antoinetta Royster, & Sherry Wilborn deserve to hear from you! Email all 5: kpuryear@personcountync.gov; jdthomas@personcountync.gov; tellixson@personcountync.gov; aroyster@personcountync.gov; swilborn@personcountync.gov You can also call: 336-597-1720 More information on the gas plants, T-15, and other Person County industrial projects The two methane gas power plants Duke Energy is proposing in Person County would be fed by the T-15 pipeline. Community Concerns about Rezoning Land for Hyco Gas Plants Fact sheet about all of the planned projects: Industrial Projects Proposed in Person County Learn more about the T-15 pipeline, its proposed route and the gas plants at www.no-t15.org Air Permit Fact Sheet: Find detailed information about the air pollution permit for the gas plants and community concerns.
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Microplastics Found Even in Remote Areas of NC, in WCU Study
By: Jonathan Poston Microplastics pollution in Western North Carolina’s waterways, is an environmental challenge that extends even to remote, seemingly untouched regions. New research, led by Jerry Miller, professor in Western Carolina University’s Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources, highlights the alarming origins and impact of microplastics in freshwater systems. Microplastics are defined as particles smaller than five millimeters, including microscopic fragments invisible to the naked eye. These pollutants originate from a wide range of sources, including synthetic clothing fibers, food packaging, and automotive tires. Once in the environment, they can persist for centuries, breaking down into even smaller particles known as nanoplastics. These particles infiltrate rivers, lakes, and oceans. They enter the food chain through aquatic life, posing ecological and health risks. In a phone interview about his research, Dr. Miller added, “inhalation, and from the ingestion of water” to the many ways humans are exposed to microplastics. Map of Richland Creek WatershedThe Richland Creek Watershed Study Miller, along with the research team, is focused on Haywood County’s Richland Creek watershed and its tributaries, as well as tributaries to the Cullasaja River. Supported by grants from NC Sea Grant and the NC Water Resources Research Institute, the research involved students, faculty, and local organizations. Dr. Miller’s team used a device to automatically collect water samples. Dr. Miller described the study’s sampling methods, “We can program it to collect samples at uniform time intervals during flood events. We can figure out how the concentrations change with flow in the stream…… We collect it in glass that has been thoroughly cleaned. We bring that back to the laboratory and then it goes through a filtration process, and the filter ends up in a petri dish that we can look at with a microscope where microplastics are identified, counted and characterized for size, shape, and color. Then we analyze a subset of them with a Raman spectrometer, which allows us to determine what types of plastics we’re looking at.” Researchers from WCU, Highlands Biological Station, and Virginia Tech found that 90 % of the microplastics in the watershed were fibers, largely attributed to clothing, city runoff, and atmospheric deposition. Even in remote, forested areas with minimal human activity, microplastic concentrations were significant, underscoring the role of airborne particles. How Are These Microplastics In Remote Areas Like WNC Watersheds? “One of the biggest sources of microplastics in freshwater in remote places is atmospheric deposition. We don’t know where it’s coming from in this case, but studies have shown that these small plastic fibers can include road dust, stuff from tires, lots of clothing. All of it is so fine it can get into the atmosphere and be transported over long distances. It’s been found at the top of Mt. Everest, and at the bottom of the Mariana Trench”, said Dr. Miller. Community Collaboration and Education This initiative was a collaborative effort involving WCU faculty, high school educators, and local environmental organizations like the Haywood Waterways Association. Students played a pivotal role, conducting fieldwork and analyzing plastic debris. Jason Love, associate director of WCU’s Highlands Biological Station, contributed to all aspects of the study, including the analysis of caddisflies, heading up the work on the atmospheric deposition of microplastics, and by studying microplastics in freshwater mussels, .These efforts not only advanced scientific understanding but also fostered community awareness of plastic pollution. The bigger picture & a call to action The WCU study adds to a growing body of research emphasizing the critical need for action against plastic pollution. While international and state-level efforts to curb single-use plastics have faced obstacles, studies like this underscore the urgent need for systemic changes. As far as the watersheds or areas where Dr. Miller’s team might test next, “We are expanding out after Helene to look at the Pigeon River Basin.” How Can Microsplastics Be Removed From Water, What Is The Solution? “We’re trying to figure out how much there is, what their general characteristics are. Numerous investigators are trying to figure out how to extract microplastics from the wastewater treatment plant effluent. A variety of techniques are being used, but it’s in its infancy. I’ve heard that 80-90% of microplastics can be removed depending on the methods used,” Dr. Miller said. Does Recycling Work? “The biggest avenue is to curtail the use of plastics and their release to the environment. It’s difficult. A lot of people talk about recycling being the key but in the US we only recycle about 9%. Recycling programs are kind of busted and it’s probably not the answer in the short run. Plastics are so ingrained in our society that you can’t go through life without using plastics on a daily basis. The whole recycling effort is a feel good thing: we all do it and think it’s helping out but a lot gets shipped out (to other countries where it is incinerated and goes into the atmosphere or is released to rivers or the ocean. Some investigators have argued that it might be better off landfilling it instead of recycling,” said Dr. Miller. Microplastics can end up in drinking water, especially in bottled water. Is It Too Late For Humanity When It Comes To Microplastics? Dr. Miller said, “It’s not too late. It’s always good to figure out what we’re dealing with. We don’t know what the long term chronic effects are, both on biota and humans. We’ve found microplastics in blood, plaque within the arteries, in brain tissues. The question is, is it having any effect. A Call to Action From classroom presentations to regional conferences, the research team is committed to raising awareness and driving change. By documenting the pervasive nature of microplastics, WCU and its partners aim to inspire policy reform and encourage responsible plastic use. It would be a sound hypothesis that other major watersheds in Western North Carolina, such as the French Broad River Watershed, Little Tennessee River Watershed, Catawba River Watershed, New River Watershed, Hiwassee River Watershed, Savannah River Watershed, and Yadkin-Pee Dee River Watershed, could exhibit similar levels of microplastics as those documented in WCU’s study, given the widespread distribution of human activity and potential sources of plastic pollution across these regions. As the study progresses, Miller envisions sustained collaboration between students, scientists, and community members. “Between the community, high school, and university involvement, I hope we can continue this research for years to come,” he said. The findings from Western North Carolina’s watersheds reveal a hidden yet urgent problem. Microplastics pollution is not just a coastal or marine issue—it permeates even the most remote streams and forests, threatening ecosystems and public health. Addressing this crisis requires collective action, from individual choices to systemic reforms, ensuring a cleaner, healthier environment for future generations. References: https://www.wcu.edu/stories/posts/News/2023/10/wcu-microplastics-study-sheds-light-on-huge-pollution-problem.aspx https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2024/12/11/nowhere-to-hide-microplastics-are-polluting-western-north-carolina-watersheds/ Interview with Dr. Jerry Miller on 12/11/2024 Jonathan Poston lives in Chapel Hill NC and researches and writes for Clean Water For NC as a volunteer.
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